Florida native Montrez Jackson makes impact on two Loper teams
By AUSTIN JACOBSEN
Only standing at 5-foot-8, it’s easy to understand why sometimes Montrez Jackson can be overlooked. Jackson has proven otherwise in his short career so far at UNK.
Montrez Jackson, a sophomore from Trenton, Fla., is a current member of the Loper football and track and field teams. He is a utility player for the Loper offense on the gridiron, plugging in where he is needed at receiver, running back, and kick returner. Jackson leads the high jumpers for the Loper track and field as well.
Maintaining two sports, as well as the other demands of being a student athlete, has not deterred Jackson so far.
“Personally, I don’t feel burnt-out,” said Jackson. “Maybe for some other people, but in high school I was playing sports back-to-back-to-back. This is nothing new to me.”
Getting to this point in college was a different story altogether for the two- sport athlete. Jackson was originally recruited for football only by schools in the Florida area until Nebraska-Kearney called.
“I only had a few options, one being in Florida,” Jackson said. “It really came down to UNK being a better offer and trying to experience something different away from home.”
Once he arrived at UNK, Jackson was immediately redshirted for his first season on the football field. By the end of the season, Jackson looked for something to break the monotony of working out and schoolwork.
“I was bored, so I had seen the guys high jumping one day, and I went over to the coach and asked ‘What are your high jumpers like?’”, said Jackson. “Coach said they didn’t have many, so he checked out my film and let me try out for the inter-squad meet.”
Jackson placed second in that meet, jumping 6-feet-9. Jackson recently just won the high jump at the UNK Indoor Invitational on Feb. 2, 2019, clearing 6-foot-8.25. Even at his shorter stature, Montrez never feels overlooked by his competition.
“To me, I never really think about it. It’s all confidence really,” Jackson said.
Flying over his competitors in track and field has helped Jackson establish dominance in the passing game as well.
“Playing receiver, it helps me high point the ball when I’m trying to catch,” Jackson said. “Having that high jump approach, I run on a curve and jump to get to my highest point. It’s the same motion really.”
This approach was most apparent on Oct. 6 when Jackson rose above a Lindenwood defender to snag a pass from quarterback Alex McGinnis for 15 yards to move the chains. That critical conversion led to a UNK touchdown on that drive.
While Jackson’s main love is football, which is apparent by his Facebook biography which has his occupation as “Running Back at NFL”, he never takes his other athletic achievements or talents for granted.
“My dad always told me ‘whatever you start, you finish.’ Whether it’s school, track, football, I’m giving it my all. I work out at six in the morning, football meetings, attend class, go to track practice in the afternoon, and do whatever else I have to do,” Jackson said.
